The Author Hotline
is
being developed by CW4K, or Creative Writing 4 Kids. They are the company behind a website that enables children to create and publish their own stories online. In its first year it has signed up over 2000 members and has been enthusiastically received by children, parents and teachers. In fact the response has been so encouraging that they are planning a huge expansion of its services. Embedding The Author Hotline into the site is part of that expansion...
For more information on CW4K CLICK HERE
Q: What did you want to be when you were a child?
A ballerina, or a fairy, or a sailor – but definitely a writer
Q: What were you like at school?
Very quiet. Sat at the back, never put my hand up , even if I knew the answer, and generally tried not to be noticed.
Q: Which three words describe you best?
Imaginative, perfectionist, indecisive.
Q: What is your favourite word?
landfall
Q: What are you afraid of?
Being trapped in a confined space, such as a lift.
Q: What is your most treasured possession?
The family photos
Q: What do you do as a hobby?
I read, knit, sing, dance, and go for long walks.
Q: What’s your favourite food?
Strawberries – but only when they are in season, and preferably from our garden. I like chocolate too, in any season.
Q: What do you day dream about?
Having more time…
Q: What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
I used to think I’d like to be an archaeologist – but that was before I realised how much mud, rain, sunburn and camping was involved. However I’m fascinated by how much archaeology can tell us about the past.
Q: Do you feel younger or older than your current age?
My mind says I’m a lot younger, but my body occasionally reminds it that I’m not.
Q: What quality do you most admire in a person?
Integrity
Q: What is the most interesting place you have ever visited?
Knossos
Q: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
“Seize the day”
Q: What would you most like to change about yourself?
I'd like to be physically braver, more decisive, able to write faster - oh, and may I please have lovely thick abundant hair that never looks limp or flyaway?
Q: How long have you been a writer?
Nearly all my life; but my first book was published in 1974.
Q: Was there a specific moment in your life when you decide to become a writer?
When I was about six I realised that books did not simply appear by magic but were written by people – and I decided I would be a writer too.
Q: Where do you do your writing?
I carry a small notebook so that I can write anywhere: on trains, in cafes, or downstairs in an armchair away from the distractions of the internet. But mostly I write in my office, which used to be my son’s bedroom.
Q: What are the best and worst things about being an author?
Best things: working alone, managing your own time and creating something new; seeing your new book when it first comes out; hearing from readers who enjoyed it. Worst things: working alone and losing confidence in what you’re writing.
Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?
Places, history, myths and legends, books, films, TV, my own life.
Q: What do you do to combat “writers’ block”?
I push through it.
Q: What was your favourite book as a child?
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Q: What book do you wish you had written?
The one I’m struggling with at the moment!
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Keep reading! To be a writer you have to be a reader. And when you do start to write something, don’t feel you have to finish it. Start something new. Experiment.
ALICE IN LOVE AND WAR
ISBN
978-1-4063-0244-8
Published By
Walker Books
Status
In Print
FORGED IN THE FIRE
ISBN
1-84428-935-4
Published By
Walker Books
Status
In Print
NO SHAME, NO FEAR
ISBN
0-7445-9090-6
Published By
Walker Books
Status
In Print
MARY ANN AND MISS MOZART
ISBN
978074607311-7
Published By
Usborne Publishing
Status
In Print
JOSIE UNDER FIRE
ISBN
978074606032-2
Published By
Usborne Publishing
Status
In Print
GUNNER’S BOY
ISBN
0-7136-6198-4
Published By
A & C Black
Status
In Print
HOUSE OF GHOSTS
ISBN
978-1-4063-0963-8
Published By
Walker Books
Status
In Print
DEEP WATER
ISBN
978-1-4063-0964-5
Published By
Walker Books
Status
In Print
PIGEON SUMMER
ISBN
1-84428-139-6
Published By
Walker Books
Status
In Print
THE WOLF KING
ISBN
1-904529-40-2
Published By
Back to Front
Status
In Print